Inside the Bracket: January 1 s-curve rankings

This year we’ll be including the full s-curve with our bracket updates. As time permits – and the tournament nears – I’ll try to update the list more frequently. Off site, the s-curve is updated daily. Below are two tables used to display the current s-curve – a tool used by the Selection Committee to seed teams into the bracket.

A couple of things to note:

1) Teams listed in ALL CAPS are projected as automatic qualifiers. We’re so early in the conference season this really doesn’t mean anything yet, but it provides an idea of how automatic qualifiers are place on the curve.

2) With the First Four set-up, there can be six teams on a given seed line. In this edition, one of those is the 12-seed line. That’s while you’ll notice two empty “boxes” after spots 49-50. Teams ranked 45-50 would be potential 12 seeds (if bracket placement works accordingly). Through games on December 31, the First Four participants would be Indiana State, Saint Louis, Marquette, and Georgia Tech. The same holds true for spots 63-38. In the First Four scenario, Norfolk State, Cal-Northridge, LIU-Brooklyn, and Prairie View would be matched with the winners sliding into a 16-seed line.

3) To make it easier to follow, I didn’t use an actual “S” shape on the table; rather the highest seed on each line is to the left. If this is more confusing I can update it later.

The following update is for games played through December 31, 2012. Our next update will be included with the first bracket on Monday, January 7.

JANUARY 1 | S-CURVE RANKINGS | 1-68

1. DUKE

2. LOUISVLLE

3. MICHIGAN

4. KANSAS

5. Indiana

6. ARIZONA

7. Syracuse

8. Minnesota

9. MISSOURI

10. Florida

11. Cincinnati

12. Ohio State

13. Illinois

14. GONZAGA

15. Georgetown

16. CREIGHTON

17. SAN DIEGO ST

18. Michigan State

19. BUTLER

20. Oklahoma State

21. NC State

22. UNLV

23. Notre Dame

24. New Mexico

25. Wichita State

26. VCU

27. Colorado

28. Kansas State

29. Baylor

30. Kentucky

31. Temple

32. Wyoming

33. Pittsburgh

34. North Carolina

35. Maryland

36. Miami-FL

37. MEMPHIS

38. Oregon

39. UCLA

40. Boise State

41. Texas

42. Colorado State

43. Virginia

44. Tennessee

45. Indiana State

46. Saint Louis

47. Marquette

48. Georgia Tech

49. MURRAY ST

50. BUCKNELL

51. NO. DAKOTA ST

52. MID TENN ST

53. VALPARAISO

54. CANISIUS

55. GEORGE MASON

56. DAVIDSON

57. OHIO

58. HARVARD

59. S.F. AUSTIN

60. MERCER

61. UTAH STATE

62. STONY BROOK

63. GARNER-WEBB

64. WEBER STATE

65. NORFOLK ST

66. CAL-NORTHRIDGE

67. LIU-BROOKLYN

68. PRAIRIE VIEW

This is where the FIRST OUT at-large teams begin. While Iowa (in this case) isn’t rated lower than Prairie View, automatic qualifiers have to be ranked within the Field of 68. That’s why I’ve compiled the s-curve this way. Other sites choose to compile the list differently. Either way is fine. To me, it’s just easier to see the clear break from which teams are IN and which are close but in the next tier. We monitor teams currently ranked below 96, but it makes a nice stopping point.

S-CURVE RANKINGS | 69 – 96

69. Iowa

70. Illinois State

71. California

72. Stanford

73. Iowa State

74. Dayton

75. Wisconsin

76. Oregon State

77. Florida State

78. BYU

79. Arizona State

80. Virginia Tech

81. St. Joseph’s

82. Belmont

83. South Dakota St

84. Mississippi

85. St. Mary’s

86. Arkansas

87. Santa Clara

88. Alabama

89. Charlotte

90. Seton Hall

91. Texas AM

92. Northern Iowa

93. Xavier

94. Oklahoma

95. Louisiana Tech

96. Illinois-Chicago

Hopefully, you enjoy this new addition to Bracketville. Thanks for you continued interest. Please share your thoughts. That’s a huge part of the fun as we work toward Selection Sunday.